All That Glitters Is Not Gold
by stormyfeather0
Summary: Briarwish is an arrogant she-cat, who somehow became deputy. But when she becomes leader... she doesn't know what to do. *This is a Smoke Rising challenge.*
1. Prologue

"I can do _anything_ you can do," Briarpaw boasted.

"Oh yeah? Can you swim?" Willowpaw flashed.

"Oh, are you a fish now? Sorry, hadn't noticed."

"Break it up!" Starpaw snapped from her position in her nest.

"Yeah, some of us are trying to sleep," grumbled Sunpaw.

"Oh?" Briarpaw replied lightly. "Is that so...?"

"Oww!" Sunpaw shot ten feet in the air. "She bit my tail!"

"I don't recall anything of the sort. Should we send you to Breezewing? You seem to have brain damage. Memory loss, so sad," she sighed, brushing her plumy tail under his nose. "So sad."

"You little-" Sunpaw lunged.

"Uh uh uh, little tiger," Briarpaw smirked. "I think your mentor would have someything to say about you injuring me, wouldn't he?"

 _That arrogant little brat!_ Sunpaw growled mentally.

Instead, he said smugly, "Oh, Briarpaw, I just heard they had special dens for nutcases. Everyone's waiting for you to move in."

Thus began the Sunpaw-Briarpaw war.


	2. The First Ceremony

Okay everyone! I'm here with my Smoke Rising forum challenge! No flames, please.

* * *

Starsong grunted. Lugging the huge masss of brambles for the apprentice's den, she finally made it through the camp entrance. Her best friend, Briarwish, greeted her, meowing urgently, "Hurry up, Starsong! Songpaw finally earned her warrior name!"

"Deed or assesment?" Starsong asked.

"Assesment," the tabby she-cat mumbled.

Briarwish was a very proud cat. She had hoped that her apprentice, Songpaw, would earn her warrior name in a battle , or fighting a fox, or something brave.

What's the difference? Starsong thought. Songpaw is a wonderful young cat.

"Um, hello? Starsong there?" Flicking her tail in annoyance, she went on, "I heard that someone is moving to the elders' den."

"No!"

"Yes! Who do you think it is?"

"Maybe Dapplefern? She's a bit grey around the muzzle," suggested Starsong.

"Dapplefern?" scoffed Briarwish. "No way! She's old as our parents!"

"Our parents aren't exactly young!" argued Starsong.

"They aren't old, either." Briarwish meowed quietly.

"May all of ThunderClan gather for a Clan meeting!" Whitestar's authorative yowl rang through camp.

"It's time! Hurry up!" gasped Briarwish.

"I'm going! Jeez!" Starsong tripped over her paws as she ran to catch upnwith her slightly annoying friend.

"Briarwish, is your apprentice ready to become a warrior?" Whitestar was saying.

"Yes." Briarwish smiled at Songpaw.

"Songpaw, do you promise to uphold and defend the warrior code with your life?" Whitestar asked solemnly.

"I do."

"Tthen by the powers of StarClan, you shall now and forevermore be known as Songheart. ThunderClan honors you for your courage and quick thinking."

Whitestar placed his muzzle on her head, and the newly made warrior licked his shoulder respectfully.

"Songheart! Songheart!" her Clanmates cheered.

"I have one more ceremony to preform. Stonewhisker, come forward."

Many cats gasped. Why was thier deputy being called up like this?

"Elder's den!" Briarwish sang quietly, under her breath.

"Stonewhisker, is it your wish to give up your title as a warrior and become an elder?" Whitestar inquired.

"It is," Stonewhisker replied.

"Then from this point on, you are now an elder."

"Stonewhisker! Stonewhisker!" his confused but happy Clanmates yowled.

"Dapplefern, Whitefrost, Firewhisker, Wolfsong, and Shadowhaze! I need you in the Corner," Whitestar called quietly.

"They're choosing a new deputy!" Briarwish hissed.

"And you want to be deputy," Starsong meowed, dead certain.

"Yes! And by moonhigh tonight, these cats will be yowling _my_ name! I will be feared by all the Clans!" Briarwish spat, a crazed look in her eyes.

"I bet they will," Starsong muttered. The only thing she knew for sure was that her arrogant friend had so much ambition, she could possibly do _anything._

* * *

So, how was that for a first chapter? The second chapter will be up, in say, two minutes?

-Stormy


	3. The New Deputy

The Clan sat in the clearing, whispering.

"Who do you think will be the deputy?"

"Thistlefrost looks like a great choice."

"You're just saying that because you have a crush on him, Lavenderlaugh! Besides, I think Whitestar is going to choose Briarwish."

"That's what _you_ think, Cherrywind, but I'm entitled to have opinions, aren't I?"

"Poor Stonewhisker, did you see his limp?"

"Hush!" yowled a amber-colored tabby called Amberspots. "Whitestar is speaking!"

The clearing went dead silent.

"You are all wondering who the new deputy is. Now, you shall find out.

"I say this before StarClan."

Every cat held thier breath.

"Briarwish will be the new deputy of ThunderClan!" Whitestar yowled.

Cheers erupted. "Briarwish! Briarwish!"

"I told you so!" Cherrywind crowed to Lavenderlaugh, who was scowling.

"Briarwish!" Starsong threw her head back and yowled her friend's name to the starry sky.

* * *

"Briarwish, wanna go hunting together?" Starsong asked, trotting up to her best friend.

"I'm deputy. I don't have time for petty things like that. Go on patrol with Hollyheart and Rainwhisker."

Tail drooping dejectedly, Starsong walked over to her friends.

"Come in," Whitestar called.

Briarwish entered to find the huge white tom nestled deep in the shadows, lemon-yellow eyes gleaming. "What is it, Briarwish?"

"Sir, I just wanted to-to ask why you chose _me_ to deputy, out of all the cats in ThunderClan," she answered nervously.

"Ah, yes." He laughed. "Brairwish... I have seen many cats in my lifetime, _many_ cats, but none of them have been quite like you."

"I don't know what you mean, sir," she replied timidly.

"Oh, you will someday. But you are _special,_ Briarwish. You are _special._ "

Somewhat enlightend and utterly confused by this convesation, Briarwish left the leader's den.

* * *

"Briarwish, will you go hunting with me?" Starsong asked the next morning.

"No! I told you I didn't have time for petty hunting trips where nothing gets done! I'm _deputy!_ In fact, I have no time for _friends,_ either!" she spat, a hint of a snarl in her voice.

"But we were such great friends," Starsong mewed, voice quivering.

Briarwish advanced. " _I_ am deputy. _I_ am my own cat. _I_ choose my own friends. _Now go away_!" she hissed.

Starsong ran away, tears dropping on the sandy floor, wailing in distress.

 _I am special,_ Briarwish thought. _No one is worthy to be my 'friend'._

Then she thought something that made her smile even wider.

 _Good riddance, Starsong._


	4. The Battle

"Where's Whitestar?"

"I don't know, Fallingfern," Briarwish answered truthfully.

"Sunrunner, where's Whitestar?" she asked her son.

"Dunno," he replied.

Growing frantic, Fallingfern raced over to her youngest daughter. "Lilypaw, where's your father?"

"Dad said he was going on patrol with Waterlily, Stainedcloud, Nightfur, and Wigglefoot. They took off about an hour ago, Mom. Didn't he say?" Lilypaw asked.

"No."

"Well, don't worry."

Everyone seemed to get more anxious by the hour. Fallingfern paced the entrance, and Sunrunner and his sisters, Lilypaw, Moonpaw, and Willowstrike laid together in a remote spot in the corner of camp.

"What are we going to do?" Frostpelt asked Briarwish.

"I know what to do. I _always_ know what to do," Briarwish sneered. "And _you_ obviously don't running around camp like StarClan has fallen out of the sky."

Frostpelt stomped off, angry at being made fun of by a younger warrior.

At that very moment, a ginger blur sped into camp.

"Cherrywind, stop! Why are you going so fast?" Dapplefern asked.

"Help!" she panted, eyes huge. "RiverClan ambush! Whitestar's injured!"

Briarwish took action immedeatly. "Starsong, you're staying in camp. You have kits to worry about. Willowstrike, Shadowhaze, Dapplefern, Fadingmist, Sootfoot, and Hollyheart will go on first patrol. Rainwhisker, Lavenderlaugh, Mothpaw, Ravenpaw, Fallsky, and Wolfsong will go on the second, attack them from the side. Everybody ready? Let's go."

"This ends now," Shimmerwing, the RiverClan deputy, hissed , holding her obsidan-colored claw to his throat.

"Fine. Do it. I will not betray my Clan, unlike you, fish-face," Whitestar spat.

"So be it," she meowed simply. She cut his throat witha simple slash. He flinched once, then fell still.

"Where's Whitestar?" Briarwish growled, slicing the RiverClan tabby's flank with fluid grace. "Where is he?!"

"Oh, so lost, little deputy," he purred. Slinking away, he whispered, "The border, midnight."

Eyes huge, the ThunderClan deputy stood stock-cat, watching the tabby tom blend into the crowd.

"ThunderClan!" a serious yowl sounded from a huge rock on RiverClan territory, "Whitestar is dead. Leave now, and surrender, or keep fighting, and die."

 _Shimmerpelt!_ thought Briarwish. _I forgot all about her!_

"ThunderClan, retreat!" she yowled.

They collected Whitestar's body and trooped back to camp.

Fallingfern sobbed and sobbed. Silently dying inside Mothpaw and Moonpaw stood beside her. Sunrunner and Willowstrike shredded the ground with thier claws, growling quietly.

"Briarwish, you must go to the Moonpool."

Briarwish turned. There, was her friend who had never truley given up on her.

"Starsong..."

She rushed forward. Starsong flinched.

" _I'm sorry."_


End file.
